Sugar unit



Dec. 15, 1931. v s, MEYER 1,836,604

, SUGAR UNIT Filed June 1, 1929 INVENTOR Imam/EJ116907 6 M ATTORNEYPatented Dec. 15, 1931 PATENT OFFICE SIMON M. MEYER, NEW YORK, N. Y.

SUGAR UNIT Application filed June 1, 1929. Serial No. 367,801.

This invention relates to sugar units or pieces for use particularly atthe dining table 1n sweetening coffee, tea, or other beverages, and theinvention has for its principal object 5 and purpose the provision of animproved unit of this character, adapted by the user to be easily andquickly broken into smaller parts or fragments usable in place of theoriginal unit to sweeten a cup of beverage,

whereby to avoid over-sweetening and to afford the user the opportunityof electing, in accordance with his taste, whether he desires to sweetenhis cup of beverage with an entire su ar unit or with a part or fragmentthereof.

another object of the invention is the provision of a compressedquickly-fracturable sugar unit, designed to put at the disposal of theuser the means by which to sweeten his beverage more precisely to hisindividual taste, designed to be more economical by avoiding wastethrough excessive sweetening, and capable of being economicallymanufactured.

More specifically, the invention resides in a compressed sugar unithaving therein a weakened zone or region by reason of the existence ofwhich the unit can be readily broken into parts or fragments when it issubjected by the fingers to a bending or breaking stress.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a simple method ormeans for producing compressed sugar units having weakened zones orregions along which to be fractured through the application by thefingers or otherwise of a bending or breaking stress exerted upon thebodies of the units.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention resides in the forms, details of construction and in themeans and arrangement hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understogd by referring to the accompanyingdrawings, in

which:

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a compressed sugar unit madein accordance with my invention.

Figs. 2 to 6, inclusive, are similar views, showing various forms ofnotches which may be produced in the sugar units to provide weakeningzones therein.

Fig. 7 represents a longitudinal sectional view through the compressedsugar unit illustrated in Fig. 1 and showing the weakened zone extendingacross the unit from the notch therein.

Fig. 8 represents a sectional view, more or less diagrammatic'incharacter, illustrating a preferred construction of means whereby 00 theweakened zone is produced in the sugar unit; and

Fig. 9 represents a fragmentary perspective view of the plunger devicefor compressing the sugar units.

Referring with more particularity to the accompanying drawings, thenumeral 10 designates generically an elongated compressed sugar unit ofbox-form type, the same, having six faces comprising opposite end faces11 and 12, opposite side faces 13 and 14, and the opposite faces 15 and16 which, for the purpose of this description, may be referred to as thetop and bottom faces, respectively.

The compressed sugar unit 10 is illustrated as having a V-shaped notch17 therein, located in the top face 15 midway the length of the body ofthe unit, the sald notch extending inwardly into the material of thebody of the unit from the face 15. The V- 30 shaped notch, thusextending inwardly into the body of the unit, not only weakens the unitalong a transversely extending line where the unit is to be broken intotwo parts or fragments, but it also serves as indicating means by whichto indicate to the user the weakened zone along which the unit iscapable of being readily and quickly divided.

In accompaniment with the notch, transversely across the unit from theopposite faces 13 and 14 and as well from the notch to the bottom face16, there may be provided a weakened zone or region 18 where thematerials comprising the molecules of sugar are pressed together lessfirmly and densely than at the zones or regions 19 and 20 at oppositesides thereof, as illustrated in Fig. 7. By making the sugar unit with acentral weakened zone 18 connecting the more compacted and consequentlystronger zones 19 and 20, m

transverse fracture of the unit from the transversely extending notch 17to the bottom face 16 can be easily accomplished by exerting relativelylight bending or breaking force upon the body of the unit outside of theweakened zone 18.

A preferred form of construction. by which economically and eflicientlyto produce compressed sugar units with a transverse notch as 17 andaccompanying weakened zone 18 is illustrated in Fig. 8. In a rovolublecylinder, fractionally illustrated at 21, there is provided a pocket 22which extends inwardly into the body of the cylinder from the peripheralsurface 22 thereof. This pocket serves as a mold or matrix for receivingthe granulated sugar the mass of which is pressed into the sugar unitform. This pocket, which of course is of the specific form and sizenecessary to produce the type of sugar unit desired. extendslongitudinally in alignment with the axis of the revoluble cylinder; andslidably fitting within the pocket so as to constitute the bottomthereof is a plunger head 24 carried by a stem 25 which is mounted inthe cylinder for reciprocating movement. This arrangement is such thatthe plunger head is advanced toward and retracted away from the concaveface 26 of a pressure plate 27 against which the mass of sugar withinthe pocket is compacted to produce the compressed unit. This arrangementis such that the periphery 23 of the cylinder comes in close proximityto the concave face 26 of the pressure plate which. as illustrated. isconcentric with the cylinder. The tranvserse extending notch 17 in thetop face of the com pressed unit is produced by a suitable V- shapedprojection 28 provided on the pressure face of the plunger head. Now.according to a feature of this arrangement. the longitudinal axis of thestem 28 corresponds with a radius of the cylinder and consequently ofthe pressure plate and the plunger head is arranged for movement atright angles to such radius. In Fig. 8 the numeral 29 indicates by wavof illustration a radius line coincident with the longitudinal center ofthe stem and in respectof which the plunger head 24 moves at rightangles. With this arrangement, the

' pressure exerted on the mass of sugar within the pocket is not thesame, being less along the radius line 29 where the concave face 26 isfurthest from the pressure face of the plunger than at the regions wheresaid concave face comes closer to the face of the plunger, it beingmanifest that the degree of pressure and consequent compactnessgradually increases from the center or radius line 29, where the minimumof pressure takes place. towards the opposite end faces 11 and 12 of theunit. In this way, the sugar unit is compressed so as to have therein aweakened zone 18 extending from the notch 17 to the bottom face 16.

In Figs. 2 to 6, inclusive, I illustrated by way of example, compressedsugar units 10 having various forms of notches. Thus, in Fig. 2, theunit is illustrated as having a halfround notch 30; in Fig. 3 there is anotch 31 of rectangular form; in Fig. 4 the notch is represented ashaving opposite sides 32 which connect with the converging inclinations33 forming a V-shaped bottom; in Fig. 5 the notch 34 has a step-likeform; and in the remaining Fig. 6 the notch 35 has the characteristic ofa mere' slit extending into the body of the sugar unit. Each of thesevarious forms of notches serves the same function as the notch 17, andin order to produce these modified forms of notches it is of coursenecessary to provide in place of the V-shaped projection 28 on theplunger head, a projection corresponding with the particular form ofnotch to be produced in the completed sugar unit.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, it will be evident that the sugar unit of myinvention can be readily and easily broken along the weakened zone 18from the notch to the bottom face, when by the fingers bending orbreaking force is exerted on the portions of the body at opposite sidesof said weakened zone. Only slight force need be exerted on the body atopposite sides of the weakened zone in order to effect the separation ofthe unit into its parts or fragments. The unit may also be broken inother ways, for instance, by resting one end portion on the table andexerting bending or breaking pressure toward the table through the otherend portion.

It will be manifest that I have disclosed an extremely simple sugar unitwhich can be manufactured economically and which embodies the featuresof advantage enumerated in the statement of invention; and while I have,in the present instance, shown and described the preferred embodimentsthereof as reduced to practice, it s to be understood that the specificform qf construction is susceptible of modification in variousparticulars without departing from the spirit or scope of my inventionor sacrificing any of its advantages.

I claim:

1. A sugar unit comprising a compressed granular body having relativelystrong portions and a relatively weak portion connect ing the relativelystrong portions, said rela tively weak portion affording a fracturablezone along which to divide the body into separated parts each consistingof a relatively strong portion, by virtue of pressure exerted on thebody tending to force the relatively strong portions in a lateraldirection either toward or away from each other, said unit being morehighly compressed at the sides remote from the fracturable zone than atthe portions in juxtaposition thereto.

2. An individual body of granular sugar particles coherently massedtogether as a result of external pressure applied to all sides of thebody, the structure of the body at two opposed sides thereof beingcompressed more compactly progressively towards said sides than at theintermediate portion of the body to afford an easy breaking zone, nd awalled countersunk portion forming groove extending across one of itssides whereby to afford a fracturable zone alolig which to divide thebody into separate parts by virtue of pressure exerted upon the ends ofsaid body.

111 testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signedmy name hereto.

SIMON M. MEYER.

